Movie review: Emily Blunt is perfect as Mary Poppins

Dana Barbuto The Patriot Ledger

Saturday

Dec 15, 2018 at 3:35 AM

“Mary Poppins Returns,” Disney's follow up to its Oscar-winning 1964 original, is just the spoonful of sugar to dilute the bitter medicine needed to combat these divisive times. Side effects might include spontaneous bursts of holiday cheer, moments of enchantment and enough heart to “flippity flop” more than a few Scrooges. That’s quite a feat considering sequels rarely live up to the originals. “Mary Poppins Returns” comes pretty close thanks to Emily Blunt flying high as the magical no-nonsense nanny originally portrayed by Julie Andrews. Heady company, but the talented Blunt (“The Devil Wears Prada”) is up to the challenge. Like her Mary Poppins says: “Everything is possible, even the impossible.”

The movie, directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Into the Woods”), unfolds 25 years after the original. It’s the 1930s, and London is feeling the effects of the “Great Slump” when Mary returns to 17 Cherry Tree Lane to drop in on the now grown Banks siblings, Jane (Emily Mortimer) and Michael (Ben Whishaw). She’s there to comfort Michael’s three children (Pixie Davies, Joel Dawson and Nathanael Saleh) in the wake of a tragedy. Financial woes also weigh on Michael. In five days he will lose his family home if he can’t summon enough cash to appease the prigs at Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, run by the fiendish William Weatherall Wilkins (Colin Firth).

Marshall and screenwriter David Magee (“Life of Pi”), adapting the PL Travers stories, smartly keep the story simple, with traces of darkness lurking beneath the expected mix of heart and humor. Like before, the musical numbers are enchanting. “Trip a Little Light Fantastic,” an eight-minute song-and-dance sequence is a standout. Ditto for “The Royal Doulton Music Hall,” “A Cover is not the Book” and “Turning Turtle.” I dug them all. The ace up the movie’s sleeve is the incomparable Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “Moana”) as Mary’s friend, Jack, an optimistic lamplighter bringing light – and life- to the streets of London. Original cast member Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury join Meryl Streep in adding heft with a trio of fun cameos.

Maybe it’s because we’re hungrier than usual for nostalgia, but this whole production just feels right. “Mary Poppins Returns” also earned four Golden Globe nominations last week, including best picture musical or comedy, original score, actor for Miranda and actress for Blunt. Credit the movie’s creative team (director of photography Dion Beebe, production designer John Myhre, costume designer Sandy Powell for making the film look alive, fluid and whirling with color. A three-time Oscar-winner, Powell (“The Favourite”) is one of the best costumers in the business, this time creating 448 original looks that are a swirl of inviting pastels.

Blunt wears them well, and smartly never tries to emulate Andrews. Purists may think otherwise, but Blunt’s Mary is saucier, yet still stern and loads of fun, taking the children on a series of Technicolor fantasies where for example, a bubble bath leads to a whimsical underwater adventure. The underlying message of both movies is not to forget what it’s like to be a kid. Slow down. Smell the roses. Now, off you go, “spit-spot” to the cinema for the perfect holiday treat.

Dana Barbuto may be reached at dbarbuto@patriotledger.com or follow her on Twitter @dbarbuto_Ledger.